Poultry feeder



E. M. ROBINSON POULTRY FEEDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 24 1918 E. M.ROBINSON POULTRY FEEDER Filed July 24, 1918 SSheets-Sheet 2 FatentedGet. 2 3, 15 923.

EMERY M. ROBINSON, 0]? RIVER ROUGE, MICHIGAN.

POULTRY FEEDER.

Application filed July 24,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMERY M. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at River Rouge, in the county of WVayne and State of Michigan,have invented new and useful Improvements in Poultry Feeders, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to feeding apparatus and is especially adaptedfor poultry feeding.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatically operatingmechanism, which will distribute a predetermined quantity of feedautomatically and at regular intervals, provision being made forautomatically discontinuing the distribution of the feed during certainhours.

Another object of the invention isto provide means for distributing thefeed'bro-ad cast so that the apparatus may be positioned within apoultry house and the feed evenly distributed in the litter therein.

With the above and other objects in view the invention broadlyvstated,includes a feed hopper having mounted therein an agita-, tor, the latterbeing normally inactive and. geared to a suitable mechanism in a mannerto rotate the agitatorat regular intervals, the number of rotationsateach ope-ration of the mechanism being-the same, so that an equalamount of feed will be distributed.

The invention further consists of the following novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts to'be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings r Figure 1 is a section though a-poultry house providedwith a number of individual compartments or sections and having theinvention in position therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the hopper; V

Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevation of the mechanism, parts ofthe-mechanism which are not important to the understanding of thepresent invention being omitted;

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the subject matter of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a detail vertical sectional view through a portion of themechanism illustrating the means for preventing the operation of themechanism; 7

Figure 6 is adetail view of the cam disk 1918. Serial No. 246,550.

for controllingthe operation of the mechanism..

Figure 7 is a detail perspective view of the feed distributor.

Figure 8 is an elevation of the cam disk and contiguous mechanism.

Referring to the drawings in detail, like characters of reference denotecorresponding parts throughout the several views.

The invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, issusceptible of various applications, but is shown as applied to abattery of poultry houses, the houses being indicated at A and B, whilea compartment C is provided for housing operating mechanism to behereinafter described.

Each of the houses A and B are divided by a horizontal partition 10,which forms the ceiling for a compartment in which the fowls are housed,a compartment 11 being formed upon the other side of the partition orceiling 10. In this compartment is located a hopper 12, having arestricted outlet neck 13 and a further restricted outlet opening 14.The opening 14 is adapted-to be regulated by a slide 15, which may beadjusted'so that the hopper will deliver just the required amount offood at each feeding. In order to restrict the passage of the foodthrough the neck 13 and to relieve the weight from the slide 15, thereis provided an inclined plate 16, located within the neck. This plate issecured to onevof the Walls of the neck and terminates short of theother wall so as to provide room for the passage of the feed. 7

. Extending vertically through the hopper 12 is a shaft 17, the upperendv of which is mounted in the bearing 18, while the lower end extendsthrough the ceiling l0 and is mounted in the bearing 19 suspended fromthe said ceiling. The shaft 17 carries radially and outwardly extendingagitator fingers 20, which rotate within the hopper 12 when the shaft isrevolved tobreak up or agitate the food and to force its passage throughthe outlet opening 14. Also mounts ed upon the shaft 17 is a collar 21,to which the fingers 20 are secured, so that rotation of the shaft willmove the agitator fingers over the slide 15. A similar collar 22 issecured upon the lower end of the shaft 17 for engagement with thebearing 19.

Mounted upon the shaft 17 beneath the outlet opening of the hopper 12 isa distributor, consisting of an inverted shallow conical or dish shapedisk ,23, which is adapted to receive the food as it fallsfrom thehopper. When this distributor. is rotated the food will be thrownbroadcast by centrifugal action and will be evenly distributed in thelitter or other covering of the floor of the house. The distributorisprovided with a plurality of vertically dis posed radial partitions 24,which further aid in the distribution of the feed, certain parts ofwhich will strike against the said par: titionszand be deflectedsin adifferent direction from that portion'ot the feed which passes throughthe distributor unobstructed.

By this means a greater and more even dis.- tribution, of the contentsof the hopper is obtained. a 1 a The agitator fingers 520 arevnormallysta tionary and thefeed within the hopper will eludes the vusual front,and rear frames 2'5 and I 26 which carry both ,the time and strikingmechanisms.-The striking mechanism includes the usual finger 27, whichis adapted to engage slots in the periphery of a'toothed' wheel 28,which is driven by the mechanism in the usual manner; The slots 29provided in the periphery of the wheel- 28 are'equally spaced apart and:in this' respectdifler from the slots formed in a similarwheel used inconnection with the ordi-' nary striking mechanism.- T'heshait 30 uponwhich-the finger 27 is mounted also carries an arm31,'wh1ch is actedupon by pins 31?. These pins are carried by a gear 31% Mounted upon thearbor 33 is a pulley 34, this pulley being fast uponthe arbor 33" whichis driven from the gear 31 The pul ley 34 is connected by means of abelt 35,-

With a double grooved pulley 36 fast upon the shaft 17 -lYhen-either ofthe arms 45 engage the arm 45, the latter will through the'instrumentality of the arm 45, raise'the arm 27 from one of the notches29 of the ,wheel 28 and the pins 31 engagethe arm 31' to successivelylitt the'said arm 27 from engagement from the teeth between the notches,so that themechanism will operate until the arm 27 enters the nextsucceeding notch 29'. The wheel 3l isjlocke'd against movement by meansofan arm 30 which is secured to the shaft 30 and engages pins 31carriedilhygthe, gear 31", theflatter, being released as soon as the arm27 is elevated throughthe operation of the arms 45. By this means eachtime the striking mechanism ,otthe clock or time mechanism is operated,the pulley 34 will be rotated and through the. belt35 and pulley 36rotate the shaft 17. This will revolve the agitator fingers 20 andcausea portion Yet the con: tents of the hopper; to passthroughtheoutlet opening 14.- This operation-will: con.

tinue during 1 the ,operation ofthe striking mechanism and willberepeated at intervals throughout-the day. The poultrywill thus begiven-only acertainamountof food at stated intervals,;whichisadvantageous with the care of fowls.-1f necessary anz-idler 37 may beinterposed between the pulleys 34 and 36 in the 'path'of the belt 35. V

In order to interrupt-theoperation of the mechanism during aperiod-oftheftwentyfour'hours of the day, for example during. the hourswhen the fowls are roosting,'there is provideda disk 38. This disk ismounted to rotate withthe arbor ;;32wwhich 'ha's mounted thereon asleeve 31 which is con nected to'the hour'arbor, the disk 38 beingmounted upon this-sleeve, but capable of longitudinal movement thereof;g1 Mounted on the sleeve 31 wis a sleeve r39,=W-hi0h is slotted as shown-at 4O for sliding movement with the pin- 41. extending vin "the arbor32.

The disk 38 is-urged: toward the rear'trame '26, near which it ispositioned, through the action of a coiled spring 42- Extending from theframe 26 inwardly is: a stud'43, which: is adapted to engage theadjacent face-of the disk-"or an -a'rcuate slot 44 provided therein.

This slot has :its end walls-bevelled, so that the disk during itsrotation will engage lthe pin inthe slot andbepositioned'substantially'in contact with the rearj frame, a" con-'-tinned-rotation of the disk'causing the in clined end-walls to 1 rideupon the end ofathe pin and force the disk away 'tromthe 'rear wallagainst the actionof the: springs Carrield by the-sleeve 39-=is a pairof radially disposed-fingers" 45, the said fingers being provided withright angular" extremities, which are adapted to engage an arm 45,

which is carried by"a shaft45 'This'ilast named shaft also carries'anarm 45"which engages; the arm 27* to lift it from en-g gement with thetoothed wheel "28. The slot 44 of the disk 38 "extends"substantiallyjonehalfwayfafround thediSk, so that for twelve hours efthe twenty to'ur'the diskwill; be

positioned substantiallyin contact with the rear fra'me26 and for'th'eother twelve hours spaced therefrom. The fingers-45 are so"? positioned'with respect'to the 'arm'45t, that when the saiddisk .is"in"contact withthe plate 26, the said fingers 45 will engage the arm, but when the diskis spaced from the rear frame these fingers will be out of the path ofmovement of the arm so as to prevent operation of the strikingmechanism.

By providing the double grooved pulleys 36 on the shaft 17, a belt 46may be placed thereon and a number of feeding devices operated by asingle mechanism as shown in Figure 1.

It is believed that when the foregoing description is read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, that the construction, operation andadvantages of the invention Will be apparent.

The invention is susceptible of various changes in its form, proportionsand minor details of construction and the right is reserved to make suchchanges as properly fall within the scope of the appended claims.

. Having described the invention, What is claimed is 1. A poultry feederembodying a hopper provided with a feed outlet, an agitator within saidhopper, a time mechanism including a striking mechanism connected tosaid agitator whereby the latter Will be operated to force feed from thehopper at regular intervals and a stud actuated cam positioned upon thearbor of the hour hand and controlling the operation of the strikingmechanism to automatically and alternately interrupt and resumeoperation of the agitator at predetermined intervals.

2. A poultry feeder embodying a hopper provided with a feed outlet, anagitator within said hopper, a time mechanism including a strikingmechanism connected to said agitator, whereby the latter will beoperated to force feed from the hopper at regular intervals, a camslidingly moimted upon the arbor of the hour hand and a stationary studengageable with said cam for operating the latter to automaticallyinterrupt operation of the agitator at predetermined intervals.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

EMERY M. ROBINSON.

